The development of hospice and palliative care is an urgent need of China， however the current situation of hospice and palliative care in China fails to comply with its demands. The competency of medical practitioners accounts for an important factor which can affect the further development of hospice and palliative care. Nurses， as one of the key members in the hospice and palliative care team， their capablilty and professionality heavily influence the quality of medical care. Based on the study of the urgency and quality of hospice and palliative care， this paper analyzed the current situation of the competence of medical practitioners， especially that of nurses， and its impact on hospice practice. This paper also put forward some thoughts on the development of hospice nurses in China by referring to the competency standards abroad and can be taken as a reference for the future construction of hospice nurse team in China.